Wor Jackie is subject of artwork at school

Jack Milburn jnr, students Bobo Moyo, 14, Ali Wasim, 15 and 15-year-old Louise Robinson, pictured in front of a painting of Jackie Milburn in the Milburn School at Excelsior Academy, Newcastle.

Published:08:10Friday 26 October 2012

THE son of legendary Newcastle Uniter player Jackie Milburn has visited the school named after his father.

Jack Milburn junior toured the Milburn School, one of four schools which make up the Excelsior Academy in Newcastle, where he saw an artwork of his father created by the students.

The foyer of the school now has two large paintings of the famous Ashington-born centre forward.

Jack Jnr, 60, said: “I was quite gobsmacked, it is one heck of an honour and is something he would really have appreciated.

“He would have blushed and gone home if he had found out about the school name, but would have been so happy and thrilled.

“To see the way education has changed to what it was back in my dad’s day, he would have been thrilled to see the facilities they have here at the school.

“The artwork is brilliant, so life like.”

School principal David Hughes said: “The paintings of Jackie Milburn are a real source of pride to our students and to have Jack junior at the Milburn School to see them has created a lot of interest.

“Our students realise just how great a player he was and what he meant to Newcastle United fans and the area.”

Each of the four schools which comprise the Excelsior Academy, is named after a famous north east figure – the Armstrong School after Tyneside industrialist William Armstrong, the Jefferson School after Stan Laurel, of Laurel and Hardy, the Hadrian School after the Roman emperor, and the Milburn School after ‘Wor Jackie’.